State Flower

Bluebonnet• Adopted 1901• Other names include

Buffalo Clover, Wolf Flower, and Rabbit Flower.

• Called Bluebonnet because it looks like a sunbonnet.

• Colors vary from white to blue.

State Tree

Pecan• Adopted 1919• Possibly because of

Governor James Hogg’s request that a pecan tree be planted at his grave

• Pecan trees in prehistoric Texas?

• Some 300 years old• Many varieties• Texas largest producer of

native pecans

State Bird

Mockingbird

• Adopted 1927• Requested because it

fights for the protection of its home, “like any true Texan”

• Five other states use as their state bird

• Imitates different sounds—up to 36!

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQYgQWbgfvk

State Stone

Petrified Palm Wood• Adopted 1969• Actually fossilized

palmwood• Found in coastal

plains and woodlands• Varies in color from

red/brown to clear.• http://www.bernardine

.com/gemstones/palm-wood-rough.htm

State Grass

Sideoats Grama

• Adopted in 1971• Grows in lots of

different soils.• Good for animals to

eat.• Most Texas grasses

come from other places—this one is native to Texas.

State Plant

Prickly Pear Cactus• Adopted 1995• Flowers are bright

yellow or orange with red centers

• Fruit pear shaped and yellow-red to purple

• Pads eaten by after spines are removed

• Young pads called nopalitos

State Reptile

Texas Horned Toad• Adopted 1993• Suggested by a ten year

old boy• Threatened species• Chosen because it has a

forbidding appearance with a peaceful nature

• http://www.texasescapes.com/FEATURES/Believe_It/Ol'_Rip/feature_night_of_the_Iguana.htm

State Large Mammal

Longhorn

• Adopted 1995• Tough cattle that can

survive difficult Texas land and weather

• Helped create the image of the west

State Small Mammal

Armadillo• Adopted 1995• Armadillos have 4

identical babies at one time

• Active at night• Eat insects• Nine banded only species

in Texas• Can’t swim—holds its

breath and walks under water

State Motto

Friendship

• Adopted 1930• Reflects the spirit that

has influence the people of Texas

• Texas, or Tejas, was the Spanish Pronunciation of an Indian word meaning “friends.”

State Flying Mammal

Mexican Free-Tailed Bat• Adopted 1995• Tails protrude well

beyond tail membrane••

State Insect

Monarch Butterfly• Adopted 1989• The only butterfly that

migrates both north and south as birds do

• Go the same place every year

• The caterpillar will make a bird sick

• http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/monarch_butterfly.htm

State Seashell

Lightning Whelk• Adopted 1987• Found only on Gulf

Coast• Few shells that open

on the left side• Named for its colored

stripes• Not easy to find on

the beach• Eat clams

State Food

Chili

• Adopted 1977• Texas original—first

canned chili in San Antonio in 1911—Gebhardt Chili

• Corsicana introduced Wolf Brand Chili in 1921

State Snack

Chips and Salsa

• Adopted 2003• School children near

Mission, Texas asked for it to be adopted

• Mission, Texas, is the home of the mission tortilla factory

State Musical Instrument

Guitar

• Adopted in 1997• Usually has six string• Used for many kinds

of music• Used by cowboys on

cattle drives

State Fish

Guadalupe bass• Adopted 1989• No other state has this

fish• Discovered by a French

scientist named Trecul during 1850’s

• Can survive drought, foods, northers

• Not a bass—really a sunfish

State Sport

Rodeo

• Adopted 1997• Many different parts

of this sport• Originated in Mexico

State Gem

Texas Blue Topaz• Adopted in 1969• Found in the Llano uplift

area near Mason• Becoming a rare stone• Blue-clear• Birthstone for November• Lone Star Cut—the

official state gemstone cut

State Vegetable

Texas Sweet Onion• Adopted 1995• Texas produces more

onions than any other state

• Texas Sweet Onion developed by Texas A&M

• Its nickname is “no more tears”onion.

• Low sulfur and high water

State Fruit

Ruby Red Grapefruit

• Adopted 1993• Developed near

Brownsville• Less acid than other

grapefruits• Named for its color• Texas, California, and

Florida are leading producers

State Tall Ship

Elissa

• Built in Scotland in 1877

• 3 masts—iron hull• Not a replica—a

restored ship• Adopted as our

symbol in 2005• Can see in Galveston

State Ship

U.S.S. Texas• Adopted 1995• Oldest remaining

droudnought• Served in both World

Wars• 2nd of 4 ships called

U.S. S. Texas• Located at San

Jacinto Historical Park

State Pepper

Jalapeno

• Adopted 1995• Pepper comes from

Mexico• Used in many foods• Many grown in Texas

State Fiber

Cotton• Adopted 1997• Texas is number one

in cotton production—4.2 million bales

• Many products made of cotton—margarine, soap, cosmetics, explosives, paper, plastics, cattle feed, clothing, even money!

State Dance

Square Dance

• Adopted 1991• Dance of four

couples—start out in a square shape

• Caller calls the moves• Originated to copy

European dances

State Fossil

Paluxysaurus Jonesi • Adopted 1997• Brachiosuau Sauropod

Pleurocoelus—means hollow side b/c of scooped shaped vertebrae

• Tracks of this dinosaur found outside of Glen Rose in the Paluxy River

• Dinosaur Valley State Park

• 3 toes up front in tracks—think it walked on its toes

Looks like a long neck, but front legs longer than hind legs

State Dog

blue Lacy• Adopted 2005• Only dog breed originated

in Texas• Coyote, scent hound,

greyhound• Bred by Lacy family in

Marble Falls area• Lacy family also donated

Granite for our state capitol building

State Saltwater Fish

Red Drum

Adopted in 2011Why?It's big--2 and a half feet long

It's tough and adaptable--swims up river, etc.

State Native Pepper

Chiltepin

Adopted in 1997The "father of all peppers"

Grows wildEaten by our state bird, turkeys, etc.

State Sea Turtle

Kemp's Ridley Sea TurtleOne of the smallest sea turtles,

but can still weigh up to 100 pounds.

Saved from extinction because Mexico and Texas worked together

Primary home is along the Texas Gulf Coast

Adopted in 2013 because of 4th graders in Galveston

Other sources

• http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/tx_symb.htm

• http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/battleship_texas/hist.phtml

• http://www.usstexasbb35.com/• U.s.s.Texas picture

• Blue lacy--http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/dogs/tx_blue_lacy.htm

• Rodeo-http://sports.espn.go.com/prorodeo/index

Guitarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar

• Fossil---http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/dinosaur_valley/

http://www.shgresources.com/tx/symbols/dinosaur/

http://www.flex.net/~lonestar/armadillo.htm

Armadillo

Horned Toadhttp://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/texas_nature_trackers/horned_lizard/

Square Dance picture--www.rolli-square-dance.de

• Grapefruit--http://primera.tamu.edu/kcchome/webpages/Origin.html

• Bass—• http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species

/gdb/• Longhorn

• http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/texaslonghorn/

• Monarch Map--http://www.monarchwatch.org/tagmig/fallmap.htm

• Cactus pictures—• http://home.att.net/~larvalbugbio/pricklype

ar.html• Lightning whelk• http://www.shgresources.com/tx/symbols/s

hell/

• Sideoats picture:• http://www.noble.org/imagegallery/grassht

ml/SideoatsGrama.html• Onions—• http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/publications/

onions/onionhis.html

• Bird, Flower, Pecan pictures and information all came from Lone Star Junction

• Conquistador—united streaming• Mockingbird sound-Copyright, Jim Stasz

Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter• Petrified

Palm--http://www.bernardine.com/gemstones/palm-wood.htm